Wood siding construction



Aug. 1966 G. A. KOENIGSHOF 3,269,073

WOOD SIDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 6,, 1963 16 0M, I a

ATTORNE'KS United States Patent 3,269,073 W001) SIIDZNG CONSTRUCTEONGerald A. Koenigshof, Kensington, Md, assigncr to Timber Engineering(Iornpany, District of Columbia, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 6,1963, er. No. 263,150 Claims. (Cl. 52-465) This invention relates towood siding construction and more particularly, to means for forming abutt joint between pieces of lap siding.

In conventional building construction, lap siding is applied to anoutside wall in successive courses from the ground upward. Each courseof siding overlaps the preceding course. Often the siding is notsufficiently long to span the entire length of the wall and it isnecessary to form a butt joint between two pieces of siding in the samecourse. If the adjacent ends of the siding are cut square and theexposed surfaces of the siding are flat, then a reasonably tight jointcan be formed. Since the siding has a substantially greater width thanthickness, however, there is a tendency for the siding to warp or cuptransversely. Depending on the grain structure of the siding, it may cupeither outwardly or inwardly. If one of the pieces of siding is cuppedoutwardly, or convexly, and the other piece of siding is cupped inwardlyor coneavely, there will be a discontinuity between the pieces of sidingat the joint. If the butt joint between the lap siding is not tight,water may leak into the space between the siding and the sheathing andcause rotting of the siding and blistering of the paint on the siding.

When the lap siding is cut crosswise to form the joint, splinters may bepulled from the exposed surface of the siding by the saw and theabutting edges may be rough. Also, the saw cut may not be square andthere may be a slight gap in the joint. To overcome these deficiencies,caulking has been applied over the butt joint to seal against the entryof moisture. Since manual labor is required to apply the caulking orfiller, this method of sealing the joint is relatively expensive and thejoint may still be unsightly due to the rough surface of the filler, ordue to the discontinuity between oppositely cupped pieces of siding.

In view of the defects of the prior art methods of forming a butt jointin lap siding, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvedmeans for sealing the butt joint in lap siding.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a lap joint sealingmeans which is easily applied.

It is another object of this invention to provide a butt joint sealingmeans which is inexpensive and has an attractive appearance.

These objects are accomplished in accordance with a preferred embodimentof the invention by an elongated strip which is both transversely andlongitudinally curved. At their abutting edges, the surfaces of thesiding are drawn into coplaner relation by a nail or other fastenerwhich is driven into the joint between the abutting lap siding, so thata portion of the fastener engages both pieces of siding. One end of thestrip is formed with a tab projecting on the side of the strip which hasa convex longitudinal curvature. The transverse curvature of the stripis convex on the side opposite the tab. The tab forms a socket forengaging over the lower edge of a piece of lap siding and the oppositeend of the strip is secured to the upper edge of the siding by a nail orother suitable fastener. Thus, the cover of this invention spans thejoint and due to the spring pressure in the metal, fits closely againstthe face of the siding, so that water or moisture does not seep underthe cover. The next succeeding course of siding overlaps the upper edgeof the 3,269,073 Patented August 30, 1966 siding and the cover strip, sothat the nail or fastener in the strip is not exposed.

This preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a wall with bevel siding having abutt joint over which the cover of this invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view, partly schematic along the line 2-2 inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the butt joint cover of thisinvention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the cover;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the cover along the line 6-6 in FIG.4; and

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the cover along the line 7-7 in FIG.4.

Conventional lap siding is applied to a wall of a building oversheathing or other wall structure 2 and vapor barrier material 4. Thesiding may be any of a variety of shapes and sizes and may be beveled,or it may have a uniform thickness. A lower piece of siding 6 is securedto the sheathing 2 by nails, or other suitable means. An intermediatecourse of siding is formed of two separate pieces of siding 8 and 10with the abutting ends of the pieces of siding 8 and 10 forming a joint12. An upper course of siding 14 is applied to the sheathing 2 andoverlaps the upper edge of the siding 8 and 10.

The joint cover of this invention is applied over the joint 12 beforethe upper course of siding 14 is secured to the wall 2. The cover 16 isformed of a strip of a resiliently flexible material, such as metal, andis provided at one end with a tab 18 which forms a socket for engagingover the lower edge of the siding 8 and 10. The strip 16 is curvedlongitudinally in an are having a center of curvature on the oppositeside of the strip from the tab 18. The strip is also curved transverselyin an are having a center of curvature on the same: side of the strip asthe tab 18, as shown in FIG. 6. The upper end of the strip 16 is securedto the wall 2 by a nail or other fastener 20 which extends through thestrip 16, the siding, and into the Wall.

In order to draw the pieces of siding 8 and 10 together, so that theirsurfaces lie substantially in the same plane, a nail 22 is preferablyapplied in the joint 12. The head of the nail engages the surface ofboth of the pieces of siding 8 and 10, as shown in FIG. 3. Since thestrip 16 is curved, the outer longitudinal edges of the strip engage thesurface of the siding 8 and 10 tightly and span the joint '12, withoutinterference from the head of the nail 22. The transverse curvature ofthe strip 16 not only provides space for the head of the nail 22, but italso increases the flexural strength of the strip. Furthermore, thelongitudinal edges of the strip 16 engage the surfaces of the siding 8and 1d! at an acute angle with the surface, so that the maximum pressureis applied at the junction of the metal strip 16 and the surface of thesiding to form a tight seal.

The strip 16 is curved longitudinally to facilitate application of thestrip to the siding and to apply the maximum pressure along the edges ofthe strip to form a tight seal between the strip and the surface of thesiding 8 and 10. The preformed curvature imposes a bending stress in thestrip which urges the lower portion of the strip, as shown in FIGS. 1and 2, away from the exposed surface of the siding, but the tab 18overlaps the interior surface of the siding and the strip 16 is urgedtightly against the surface. The upper end of the strip 16 is secured bythe nail 2t) and the upper course of siding 1'4 protects the fastener ornail 20 from the weather.

The cover strip 16 is applied during the construction of the wall byforming the butt joint 12 between adjacent pieces of siding 8 and 10and, if desired, a nail 22 is inserted into the joint 12 to preventcupping of the siding. The strip is secured over the joint 12 byinserting the tab 18 in the space between the siding 8 and 10 and thelower siding 6. The upper end of the curved strip 16 is then pressedagainst the surface of siding over the joint .12 and a nail 21) isdriven into the sheathing to hold the strip in place. The upper courseof siding -14 is then applied to overlap the upper edge of the siding 8and 10 and to cover the nail 20. Moisture may accumulate under the coverdue to wicking or the penetration of moisture from the inside of thewall. Accordingly, a drain hole 24, as shown in FIG. 7, is provided inthe portion of the cover '16 which extends across the edge of thesiding. The drain hole 24 permits any accumulation of moisture to beevaporated and thereby prevents rotting of the wood under the butt jointcover '16.

In the event that the siding has already been applied, the cover stripof this invention can be applied in sub stantially the same manner asdescribed above. The strip 16 is inserted between the upper course ofsiding 14 and the siding 8 and 10 and the tab 18 is inserted between thesiding 8 and 10 and the lower piece of siding 6. The lower end of thestrip 16 is retained in position by the tab 18 which overlaps the loweredge of the siding 8 and 10 and the upper end is secured between thesiding 8 and 10 and the siding .14. If the gap between the upper pieceof siding 14 and the siding 8 and 10 is so large that the strip 16 doesnot tightly engage the surface of the siding 8 and 10 throughout theentire length of the strip, a nail may be driven through the upper pieceof siding 14 directly over the strip 16 to secure the strip in position.Since the head of the nail will be exposed to the weather, however, itis necessary to set the nail head and cover it with a protectivecoating, such as paint.

The butt joint cover of this invention is formed of a single strip ofmetal and is therefore inexpensive. It may be easily applied byunskilled labor. Furthermore, since there are no fasteners exposed forsecuring the strip to the siding, there is no danger of leakage of waterthrough the metal strip. The flexibility of the curved elastic stripurges the cover tightly against the surface of the siding, so that thestrip is inconspicuous and forms a tight joint which excludes moisturefrom the interior of the wall.

While this invention has been illustrated and described in oneembodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be madetherein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1, In combination a covered lap siding butt joint formed betweencoplanar abutting pieces of wood siding comprising a thin stripextending transversely across one face of the siding over the joint, oneend of said strip extending across one edge of the siding andoverlapping the opposite face of the siding, said strip beingtransversely curved with opposite longitudinal edges of said stripengaging said one face of siding, said strip being resiliently biasedtoward being curved longitudinally, and means for securing the oppositeend of the strip to the siding whereby the intermediate portion of thestrip is urged against the siding by the resilient longitudinalcurvature of the strip.

2. In combination a covered lap siding butt joint formed betweenabutting pieces of wood siding comprising a strip extending transverselyacross one face of the siding over the joint, one end of said stripextending across one edge of the siding and transversely along theopposite face of the siding, a nail extending through the joint andoverlapping said pieces of siding thereby drawing the faces of thesiding into substantially the same plane, said strip being transverselycurved to cover the nail and engage the faces of the siding along theedges of the strip and a second nail extending through the opposite endof the strip and the siding to secure the strip thereto.

3. In combination a. covered lap siding .butt joint formed betweencoplanar abutting pieces of wood siding comprising a thin stripextending transversely across one face of the siding over the joint, oneend of said strip extending across one edge of the siding andoverlapping the opposite face of the siding, said strip having oppositelongitudinal edges and a central portion transversely arched outwardlybetween said edges and extending from said one end continuously forsubstantially the length of said strip, said edges engaging said oneface of siding, said strip being resiliently biased toward being curvedlongitudinally, and means for securing the opposite end of the strip tothe siding whereby the edges of the strip are urged against the sidingby the resilient longitudinal curvature of the strip.

4. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said strip is metallic.

5. A lap siding but-t joint cover comprising an elongated narrow striphaving a front side and a rear side, opposite longitudinal edges and acentral portion therebetween, said strip being of substantially uniformthickness, said strip having a socket formed at one end thereof, saidsocket including a spacer portion extending outwardly on said rear sideof the strip and a tab portion extending from the spacer portion towardthe opposite end of the strip, said strip being transversely archedcontinuously substantially from said socket to said opposite end withsaid opposite edges projecting in outwardly sloping relation on saidrear side from said central portion, said strip having a continuouslongitudinal curvature substantially from the socket to the opposite endof the strip with said longitudinal curvature being concave on saidfront side, said strip being sutficiently resilient to return to saidlongitudinal curvature when straightened, whereby said opposite edgesare pressed tightly against the siding due to spring pressure in thestrip when the cover is applied over a joint.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 611,906 10 /1898Hawley 52469 1,3 87,621 8/1921 Shuman 52456 1,586,700 6 1926 Reinhardt52547 1,642,088 9/1927 Scartf 52-547 2,434,185 1/1948 Whitehouse 52-5192,488,887 11/ 1949 Adams 52531 2,557,660 6/1951 Jacobs 52-720 2,993,3067/ 1961 Persons.

EARL J. WITMER, Primary Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION A COVERED LAP SIDING BUTT JOINT FORMED BETWEENCOPLANAR ABUTTING PIECES OF WOOD SIDING COMPRISING A THIN STRIPEXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS ONE FACE OF THE SIDING OVER THE JOINT, ONEEND OF SAID STRIP EXTENDING ACROSS ONE EDGE OF THE SIDING ANDOVERLAPPING THE OPPOSITE FACE OF THE SIDING, SAID STRIP HAVING OPPOSITELONGITUDINAL EDGES AND A CENTRAL PORTION TRANSVERSELY ARCHED OUTWARDLYBETWEEN SAID EDGES AND EXTENDING FROM SAID ONE END CONTINUOUSLY FORSUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF SAID STRIP, SAID EDGES ENGAGING SAID ONEFACE OF SIDING, SAID STRIP BEING RESILIENTLY BIASED TOWARD BEING CURVEDLONGITUDINALLY, AND MEANS FOR SECURING THE OPPOSITE END OF THE STRIP TOTHE SIDING WHEREBY THE EDGES OF THE STRIP ARE URGED AGAINST THE SIDINGBY THE RESILIENT LONGITUDINAL CURVATURE OF THE STRIP.